SamSam: The (Almost) Six Million Dollar Ransomware

SophosLabs has uncovered a trove of information about the ransomware, which uses secretive, targeted attacks that differ from the splashy, messy, but effective methods large-scale ransomware attacks use. Rather than stealing money through many, many small transactions over a vast number of victims, SamSam uses targeted attacks by a skilled team or individual, causing maximum damage by tailoring the attack to each victim, with ransom demands in the tens of thousands of dollars. SamSam has remained elusive, used stealthily and sparingly compared to over headline-grabbing ransomware attacks, undergoing several key evolutions over time. It is a very different sort of ransomware, used roughly once per day in one devastating, handcrafted attack.